Phagwara (Punjab): Leaders and members of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Doaba) on Sunday announced that they will hold protests across Punjab on November 18 to demand the immediate release of pending sugarcane payments and compensation for losses suffered during protests at the Shambhu and Khanouri borders, reports The Tribune.
The decision was taken at a meeting held at Gurudwara Sukhchaina Sahib in Sukhchain Nagar, Phagwara, chaired by BKU (Doaba) state president Manjit Singh Rai. The three-hour protest will take place outside the Deputy Commissioners’ offices in Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr, and outside the ADC’s office in Phagwara. Memorandums listing farmers’ demands will be submitted afterward.
The union cautioned that if the government does not offer a clear solution, including the release of arrears and compensation, farmers will escalate their agitation by blocking traffic on the GT Road in Jalandhar on November 21.
During the meeting, leaders criticised the AAP-led Punjab government for not resolving the long-standing issue of unpaid sugarcane dues. They said that Rs 27–28 crore owed by Golden Sandhar Sugar Mill Ltd., Phagwara, is still pending, and that the Rs 61.50 per quintal subsidy announced for farmers has not reached them.
The union demanded that the subsidy be transferred directly to cultivators under a “One Booth, One Payment” system instead of being routed through mill owners. They also urged the government to immediately declare the sugarcane price for the current crushing season and set it at Rs 500 per quintal.
